The Good Earth

As is often the case in classic works, the front matter of this book contains a lengthy quotation. When this happens on audio, there may be a few minutes of confusion when one wonders if the correct CD was placed in the player. But with the first chapter, a wonderful rendition of a time-honored story begins. Anthony Heald captures Buck's commentary on the human condition with a humble tone that matches the poignant life of Wang Lung and his wife, Olan, as they eke out a living in rural China. Heald's performance pays homage to the novel's historical integrity in its detailed account of the Boxer Rebellion and its aftermath. This is an outstanding production of Buck's most famous work. D.L.M. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine


Pearl Buck's Pulitzer Prize-winning (1932) story of China at the time of the emperors remains a classic, one of the great novels of the twentieth century. Its protagonists, the peasants Wang Lung and his smarter wife, O-lan, stoically struggle amidst poverty and more children than they can afford, but always they try to hold onto their little land and, bit by bit, acquire more of this good earth. Ultimately Wang Lung becomes rich, but, curiously to him, not happy, rather more like the landed gentry he earlier envied so much. Kate Reading's narration shows perfect pitch throughout, with outstanding distinctions among a raft of characters and spellbinding handling of Buck's exquisite descriptions of Chinese life and social classes. Like Wang Lung's own, this marriage between author and reader is wondrous to behold, a joy to listen to. T.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

Starred review from March 1, 2008
First published in 1931, this classic novel about Chinese peasant life around the turn of the 20th century seems a little dated now but still possesses enough emotional power to engage modern listeners. The book traces the slow rise of Wang Lung from humble peasant farmer to great landlorda feat he achieves by steadily adding to his lands and making enormous sacrifices to retain them through hard times. As one of the first Western novels to explore the lives of ordinary Chinese, this work has had an enormous influence on American views of China, and it propelled Buck to the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938. The novel's linear story line makes it ideal for listening, and actor Anthony Heald's perfectly modulated narration makes this audio edition a sure winner among library patrons. Highly recommended.R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.